This Doctoral Dissertation Improvement award is directed towards understanding the immunological factors contributing to variation in reproductive performance in non-human primate species. Among some human populations, immunological similarity between mates appears to increase the likelihood of pregnancy loss. If true, this would provide an evolutionary pressure selecting for increased genetic diversity within populations. This study will investigate the relationship between reproductive outcome and the major histocompatibility complex in a captive colony of Macaca nemestrina at the Washington Primate Research Center. The degree of immunological similarity between successful and unsuccessful pairs will be compared. Findings from this study will help to characterize the evolutionary forces which are currently effecting the reproductive performance in all primates.
